


Comes Natural

by Laylah



Category: Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey
Genre: Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Missing Scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-10-24
Updated: 2010-10-24
Packaged: 2017-10-12 21:07:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 511
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/129076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Laylah/pseuds/Laylah
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sick bay's machinery hums in the background, almost silent, just noise enough to be reassuring.</p><p>[spoilers partway through Delphinus sector]</p>
            </blockquote>





	Comes Natural

Sick bay's machinery hums in the background, almost silent, just noise enough to be reassuring. Down at the other end of the room, Zoe's giving a pep talk to one of the other guys, and Wolf's still hanging around -- he's gotta be here for her, by this point. How long has it been? Some other mission, maybe it'd just be he's hiding out, but they were supposed to pick out the best of the best for this party, right?

Not like that worked out all that great, though.

Jimenez feels like he got run over by a truck, to be honest. He can't remember a whole lot of what happened out there -- the whole sector is a rotting pile of filth, right, and then it started to feel like the inside of his head wasn't clean anymore either, and then...it all went pretty hazy. Apparently they were all going crazy out there. Killing each other. He was one of the lucky ones, though, got picked up in time and got his head screwed back on straight.

He boosts himself up on his elbows, looks over the edge of his med capsule. Zoe's talking to Wolf, not coming down here any time too soon. Good. People get kind of bitchy when he breaks the rules about summoning, and he's not up for a lecture right now.

He fires up his demon summoning program, draws out the only guy he really wants to see right now.

"Boo?" Bugaboo says, crouching next to him. "Jimenez?"

"Ssshh," Jimenez says. He scoots to one side so there's room enough for both of them in there -- it's a tight fit, but whatever -- and pats the spot next to him. "Gotta be quiet, okay?"

Bugaboo nods, makes one of those little almost-word noises like he understands but he can't really say so. He curls up next to Jimenez and he's warm like a little furnace. Maybe it's weird that he's the most comforting thing about this mission, but he's...he's _innocent_ , right, in a way that a lot of the humans on the strike team aren't even. They're all hired killers, right? But Bugaboo's just being what he is.

"Things got pretty messy out there, huh?" Jimenez says to him, nice and quiet. "Sorry about that. You were real good, though, Boo. You helped me out, right?"

"Help," Bugaboo says, and clings to his jacket with one spindly little claw hand. "Friend."

Jimenez hugs him. "Thanks, Boo," he says. "Yeah. We're friends, you and me." He feels kind of choked up, to be honest. They've made so much progress together already. Hell, when they first met, the poor thing didn't know any words at all.

Bugaboo makes a little wurring noise, almost a purr, and nuzzles at his shoulder. Okay, so words still aren't his strong suit. He's making his point okay.

"Yeah," Jimenez says, rubbing Bugaboo's back right between those stubby little wings of his. "We stick together, Boo, you and me." He swallows hard. "Promise I'm going to take just as good care of you."


End file.
